Kendall wins second DRP Feature of 2007

Montello driver all but wraps up season championship, now enjoys an 81-point cushion with only two points night left.

By Bob Blaschke
DRP Media

(Saturday, August 25, 2007)-- With only two events remaining on the 2007 season schedule for the Dells Raceway Park, Montello's Jeff Kendall took another step closer to wrapping up the inaugural DRP Leo's Upper Dells Bar Late Model season championship.

Setting the fast lap, Kendall crossed the line third in the Fast Heat, before lining up to start the 50-lap Feature on the outside of the fourth row. Trailing Kendall by 60 points going into the night, DeForest's Andrew Morrissey lined up on the outside of the second row after finishing ahead of Kendall in the Fast Heat. Morrissey would need to stay ahead of Kendall by the checkers if he was going to have any realistic shot at overcoming Kendall's massive points lead to claim the DRP championship.

Portage's Tom Lichtfeld started on the Pole and led for the first five laps, before giving way to Markesan's John Zimmerman. He would lead for the next 25 laps, through five cautions, as Morrissey and Kendall moved up to second and third. Searching for his sixth DRP Feature win of the season, Morrissey moved outside of Zimmerman, after the lap 25 restart.

The attempt for the lead was short lived, as Morrissey climbed high out of turn three and Kendall nosed into second. Six laps later saw Kendall out front and pulling away.

The sixth caution of the race, for a single car spin by Reedsburg's John Raupp, wiped out Kendall's growing advantage. The lap-37 restart showed Kendall now pacing Plainfield's Todd Stapleman, Zimmerman, Morrissey and La Crosse's Don "Thunder" Turner. Despite a pair of additional yellow flags, Stapleman was unable to get past Kendall, in an attempt to win his second DRP Feature in a row. The top five would go unchanged over the final 13 laps.

As Kendall took the checkers, 13 of the 21 cars that started the Feature were still on the track as more than a third of the field recorded DNFs.

Speaking about his win, Kendall said, "It feels real good. I didn't want to burn up my tires so that is why I just did a little-bitty burnout. I still need to use two of these tires next week, so you don't want to tear them up too bad."

Asked how the damp conditions affected his car, Kendall replied, "The car was loose-loose-loose at the end. That is why we had to go so slow through the corners - to get straight runs off. I don't know if Todd [Stapleman] could have got me tonight. He might have been better. Every time you get a Feature win is a good night."

Stapleman took the honors in the Fast Heat, with Greg Ruffalo (Plainfield) taking the first Heat and McFarland's Kyle Kinder taking the second Heat.

With the win, Kendall tacked another 21 points on to his lead over Morrissey. With just a pair of points nights remaining on DRP's 2007 schedule Kendall's lead has ballooned to 81 points as the driver of the double zero has now all but locked up the 2007 Leo's Upper Dells Bar season championship.

Leo's Upper Dells Bar Super Late Models
August 25, 2007

50-Lap Feature: Kendall, Stapleman, Zimmerman, Morrissey, Turner, Lichtfeld, Gawronski, Kinder, Bill, Gunderson, Raupp, Ruffalo, Kempf, Carlson, Gress, Patnode, Scholze, Seidler, Schotten, Brescia, Reiser; Fast Heat: Stapleman, Morrissey, Kendall, Turner, Brescia, Reiser, Kempf; Heat 1: Ruffalo, Patnode, Gunderson, Gress, Bill, Seidler, Scholze; Heat 2: Kinder, Raupp, Lichtfeld, Zimmerman, Carlson, Gawronski, Schotten; Fast Qualifier: Kendall 13.482 sec.

Current DRP Top 10

1 Jeff Kendall 435
2 Andrew Morrissey 354
3 Kenny Reiser 340
4 Tom Lichtfeld 333
5 Don Turner 312
6 Pete Kempf 277
7 Jim Carlson 261
8 Todd Stapleman 261
9 Mike Gunderson 259
10 Matt Gawronski 253

Clapper adds second DRP Feature of 2007

This time, the Dane racer wins in his own car.

(Saturday, August 25, 2007)-- On Saturday, June 9 Kurt Clapper won his first DRP Feature of 2007. Borrowing Billy Gray's limited late model, after experiencing clutch problems the night before at Columbus, Clapper needed a pair of pillows to reach the pedals as he piloted Gray's car to the win. This Saturday, he returned to Victory Lane at the Dells Raceway Park in his own car and without the pillows.

Starting on the Pole, Clapper led all 35 laps of the Schulz Automotive Limited Late Model feature. With all the action taking place behind him, Clapper found the Pole the safest place to be on Saturday.

The yellow flag flew five times during the event, involved another black-flag incident between Burlington's Matthew Byrne and Portage's Rocky Breezer and ended before the scheduled 35 laps were run. Though it all, Clapper kept his blue No. 7 on the point.

Rounding out the top five, were Reedsburg's James Kruschke III, division points leader Eric Klawitter (Montello), Appleton's Ross Kenseth, and Schumann.

"It feels pretty good to get my second win here this year, especially in my own car, said Clapper. "To be up front, that was the best place to be tonight. The track was green and it was hard to get any traction at all.

I don't know if it was the track or what, but they were wrecking a lot of cars tonight. I was glad to be up front."

Camp Douglas' Cardell Potter led all 15 laps in picking up the R.A.C.E.S. B-Feature win. Heat wins went to Jesse Wilcox, Baraboo's Joel Soenksen, and Prairie du Chien's Michael Ehde (Fast Heat).

Despite finishing a pair of spots behind Klawitter in the Feature, Schumann slashed Klawitter's 13-point lead to just four points after finishing ahead of Klawitter in the Fast Heat and turning in the fast qualifying lap.

Schulz Automotive Limited Late Models
August 25, 2007

35-Lap Feature: Clapper, Kruschke, Klawitter, Kenseth, Schumann, Niles, Fowler, Syvrud, Soenksen, Wildes, Potter, Byrne, Breezer, Degenhardt, Ehde, Burke, Nolden; RACES Feature: Potter, Burke, Fritz, Wilcox, Devito, Paul, Sojer, Peters, Broesch; Fast Heat: Ehde, Kruschke, Wildes, Schumann, Byrne, Kenseth, Klawitter, Degenhardt, Niles; Heat 1: Wilcox, Fritz Sr, Sojer, Potter, Peters, Burke, L DeVito, Broesch; Heat 2: Soenksen, Nolden, Clapper, Breezer, Flower, Syvrud, Sauter, Paul; Fast Qualifier: Schumann 14.403 sec.

Current DRP Top 10

1 Eric Klawitter 401
2 Rich Schumann Jr 397
3 Mike Ehde 367
4 Matt Byrne 358
5 Rocky Breezer 350
6 James Kruschke III 306
7 Andy Niles 281
8 Tyler Sauter 268
9 Nick Nolden 261
10 Beau Sanden 260